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1) does the pot you use to grow in have to have a hole or something in the bottom to let water go? i've seen in cloning tek videos people the water drains out. is it always necessary with clones? is it necessary the whole time? not sure on this part.

2) how do you guys germinate your seeds/what do you think is the best way to do it? i've started plants before but never grown them the whole way through and everytime before i just put them in between a few damp paper towels and then put that inside of a zip lock bag. Is that a good way or are there more sufficient ways of doing it.

thanks ahead for the help. i'm really excited to get my first real grow going.

OK dude for question 1; I feel it is best to use pots with holes in the bottom. This will help avoid over watering of said plant.

As for question 2; I seen people use that method before and it seems to work well. I myself use a cup of distilled water just throw the seeds in and wait for them to crack open then plant. This ussauly only takes two days sometimes three.

I would NOT germinate my seeds with a zip lock baggie and paper towls because i would want them to get oxygen.

Stoney's way to to germinate for best results.

--------------------[quote]
“You see this glass bong?” asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I smoke out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass bong on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”[/quote]

Pots with holes at bottom definetly!!!!To germenate I get a paper towel and fold it 2 times. Then put the seeds in between so that there is 2 pieces of the paper towel on top and bottom of seeds. Then I put water on the paper towel so its completly wet and then drain any excess water. Put them in a cupboard and check every day to make sure they are still wet. When the seed starts to break open and you start to see the sprout carefully grab the seed with some tweezers and put in some kind of cube. I use oasis cubes. Be sure to keep cube wet and water from bottom so you dont hurt the sprout. Once it starts to root out the cube its time to put in soil or leave in cube for hydro.

Quote:spacemonkey69 said:I would NOT germinate my seeds with a zip lock baggie and paper towls because i would want them to get oxygen.

Stoney's way to to germinate for best results.

Seeds do not need oxygen. A seedling has most things it needs inside the seed until its first set of leaves are open. I personally like to soak in a glass of water for 12-24 hours then put them in a tupperware container with some damp paper towels on my computer or refrigerator to keep them warm. I generally see roots in 1-2 days.

the best way would be to soak the seeds for up to 12 hours in water and then PLANT them in soil (half a centimetre in) and put them in a warm (not hot) place...keep the surface wet until the seeds pop out and there you have it!let nature take it course!!!when you mess around with paper towels you risk breaking the young root and further more you waste the energy of the seed because it will have to readjust it's position in the soil not to mention you expose it to the risk of diseases...

it's good to use sterilized airy soil, plant ONE SEED per container and make sure the container is not too small otherwise the roots will hit a wall too soon... go for deep containers and take care with watering for the first couple of weeks (not to go over board and strangle the sprout)

I also do not use paper towels. When germinating a seed - and this goes for ANY seed I germinate from tomatoes to peppers - I place the seeds in luke-warm water and leave them there for 24 to 36 hours. I then take a rockwool cube (peat pellets are also a convenient way to insure that your seeds retain access to an appropriately moist/humid microclimate during germination) and place the seed about 1/2" down in the cube/pellet. Let those rockwool cubes sit in about 1/4" of water inside a container with a perforated top (ie. a mini greenhouse). Then place that germination greenhouse on top of something warm like an external hard drive or refrigerator.

Here's a picture of one of the greenhouses I have used, with the rockwool cubes:

it's basically sterile airy and easy for the young root to grow in, it's also much simpler keeping it in the perfect moisture for sprouting seeds so you don't have to even water or actually DO anything but wait good for cloning too!

on the other hand if this is your first time and you're not planing on making a continual grow, there's really no need for you to spend money on it (not that it's that expensive) or go out of your way to get some (in Israel for example it's not found in just any nursery )

personally i like peat pellets for germing your seeds. Same thing as rockwool but a different material.

As for drainage in the bottom of your pots, i'd highly suggest it. Experienced growers can get away with no drainage if they know exactly how much water to what size pots their plants need. For the rest of us, it's best to have a way for any excess to drain out and let the roots breath.

Also, if you need to flush your plants you're going to need drainage anyways. It's always best to think ahead and anticipate problems will occur and the steps you will need to take to rectify them.

Quote:geokills said:I also do not use paper towels. When germinating a seed - and this goes for ANY seed I germinate from tomatoes to peppers - I place the seeds in luke-warm water and leave them there for 24 to 36 hours. I then take a rockwool cube (peat pellets are also a convenient way to insure that your seeds retain access to an appropriately moist/humid microclimate during germination) and place the seed about 1/2" down in the cube/pellet. Let those rockwool cubes sit in about 1/4" of water inside a container with a perforated top (ie. a mini greenhouse). Then place that germination greenhouse on top of something warm like an external hard drive or refrigerator.

Here's a picture of one of the greenhouses I have used, with the rockwool cubes:

With your rockwool in a mini greenhouse with 1/4" water in the bottom to keep the rockwool wet.. do you ever have issues with damping off? I'd like to add water to my greenhouse where I started 33 seeds but I'm scared my rockwool may become too wet.

Quote:stoney.69 said:OK dude for question 1; I feel it is best to use pots with holes in the bottom. This will help avoid over watering of said plant.

As for question 2; I seen people use that method before and it seems to work well. I myself use a cup of distilled water just throw the seeds in and wait for them to crack open then plant. This ussauly only takes two days sometimes three.

Hope that will help u on ur adventure.

excellent advice to the newb

--------------------[quote]FarBeyondDriven said:Anybody ever tell you you're the result of a broken prophylactic in the back seat of a 74 Mercury?[/quote]

With your rockwool in a mini greenhouse with 1/4" water in the bottom to keep the rockwool wet.. do you ever have issues with damping off? I'd like to add water to my greenhouse where I started 33 seeds but I'm scared my rockwool may become too wet.

Haven't personally seen any damping off from seed, but that's probably because as soon as the seed sprouts, I would drain excess water immediately and end up transplanting into a more robust growing medium within a couple of days max. The damping off could be a concern however, so to play it safe I would advocate using a well moistened bed of perlite on the bottom of the greenhouse chamber, which should keep the rockwool cubes above any standing water, while still providing a high humidity environment for the seedling and helping to make sure the rockwool doesn't dry out completely.